@avclub-10f5234f722345fe143ea9fa364a44eb:disqus I'd have to agree with @avclub-38d23247d87b0cf60794097048b2ca46:disqus; one thing the Shield always did well was continuity — you'd miss far too much if you jumped ahead. I still think its worth it. There's some good characterizations going on as well, in particular the…

Loved the episode, but I don't entirely disagree. This jaunt was essentially one long HSMotW, and while I can't ignore the awesome holyshitness of most HSMotWs, I never felt they quite jelled with the otherwise lax and mundane nature of the show. Slight tangent: Among the most jarring being the fourth season…

I too came to the Shield late. I'll admit that it didn't strike me all too well (see: that Kid Rock song in the pilot, set to macho-cop antics) until at least the second half of the series. At which point it became one of the greatest things I have ever seen (and will remain as such, even after I have forgotten my…

@avclub-baf85a9c743fef2c046bd5cd59d7fc98:disqus  Except Boyd don't run no whores. He merely allows this of Ava — Ava Crowder, that is a woman, of course and among the several wonderful pairs of things that come with women, such do double standards. (Who doesn't love a brothel run by a spunky madam?)

I like this, although I'd sooner phrase it (and this is a matter of pseudo-philosophical semantics) that Ben is the type of guy that generally means well, but is going against a very definite and needling evil heart. See: Frank Burns, Anakin Skywalker, Mel Gibson vs. seemingly nasty sonsofbitches but with hearts of…